Horse Trade Theater Group Awarded the 2011 Ellen Stewart Award

The New York Innovative Theatre Awards announced on Monday that Horse Trade Theater Group is to be awarded this year's 2011 Ellen Stewart Award, (formally called the Stewardship Award, renamed in honor of the late pioneer who was the first person to receive the honor in 2005) presented annually to an individual or organization who demonstrates a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership. Horse Trade Theater Group is a self-sustaining theater development group that focuses on new work and provides rehearsal and performance space to many downtown theater companies.

"I can't imagine anything more rewarding than being told by your peers that the work you do matters to so many," said Erez Ziv, Managing Director of Horse Trade. "Especially this year, when Horse Trade is embarking on its largest project yet, it is a great moral booster and a wonderful testament that what we do really does matter. The Off-Off-Broadway community is our community, it is the hardest working arts community in NYC, with most practitioners holding down at least one other job in addition to the full time work they put into each and every production, we feel it is important to ensure that when they walk into their performance space their productions have the best possible chance of succeeding."

In May Horse Trade learned that 94 St. Marks Place, home of UNDER St. Marks, had been put up for sale. So far no serious bids have been made on the building and HT is in negotiations to secure an extended lease on the space. At the end of this first round of negotiations HT intends to make a bid for the building and will begin a full on capitol campaign in order to be able to purchase the theater. Plans are also being put together to convert the building into artist housing, expand the seating capacity of the theater, and create a coffee shop/wine bar/lobby entrance to the theater. HT is are also investigating multiple ways to make the space self-sustaining and green, including creating a green rooftop and sharing the artist housing with a B&B. For more information on the ongoing efforts and fundraising events please visit www.horseTRADE.info.

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work, it has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent Theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York - the first and only festival of its kind in New York City.

UNDER St. Marks is a downtown performance venue with a rich history. An experimental theatre space since the 1970's, this 45-seat basement theater is now home to a wide variety of performance artists including The BTK Band, Penny's Open Mic, Thank You Robot, Adam Wade, Tanya O'Debra, The Management, Little Lord, the Rising Sun Performance Company, No Tea Productions, Wide Eyed Productions, Animal Parts, Subjective Theatre Company, The Pumpkin Pie Show, and the FRIGID New York Festival.

THE INNOVATIVE THEATRE FOUNDATION recognizes the great work of New York's Off-Off-Broadway - honoring its artistic heritage and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. As advocates for Off-Off-Broadway, they recognize its unique and essential role in global culture. Each season, The Innovative Theatre Foundation publicly recognizes excellence in Off-Off-Broadway, with a high-profile awards ceremony. The New York Innovative Theatre Awards celebrate the community and honor some of the year's greatest achievements. The IT Awards heighten audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. To learn more about The Innovative Theatre Foundation and its programs, visit www.nyitawards.org.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.